Big fan a star in his own right

OKLAHOMA CITY — It’s easy to find James Goldstein among 18,000 fans in any NBA arena.

First, look at the front row. Then, look for the guy wearing an ensemble such as the one he was wearing here Saturday night — brown leather boots, black leather pants, brown leather jacket, a black T-shirt with a Native American eagle design on it and a matching ascot, topped off with a black hat.

Yep. That’s Goldstein, but his reputation goes far beyond his fashion choices. He’s been a courtside figure for decades, beloved by players and coaches and owners and beat writers in nearly every NBA city.

When I saw Goldstein milling about courtside before the Spurs’ 109-103 loss Saturday, he was shaking hands with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. Then he chatted with Spurs GM R.C. Buford, later sharing a laugh with Spurs CEO Peter Holt. Minutes before tipoff, he was sitting down to catch up with a longtime friend, NBA coaching and broadcast legend Hubie Brown.

The NBA world loves Goldstein because he loves them and their game. He’s rich, but beyond his clothing — “exotic garb” is how Spurs player Matt Bonner puts it — Goldstein doesn’t act like an obnoxious rich guy. His clothes are loud, but he’s a quiet and friendly fellow.

“He lives a dream lifestyle,” Brown said. “He’s humble. He’s smart. He loves the game and, most importantly, he never asks for anything. He just wants to enjoy basketball.”

“When you think of NBA fans,” Bonner said, “you think of Spike Lee, Jack Nicholson, and Jim has got to be right up there. He’s a character in a good way. He’s never negative, he never boos. He’s has an air of positivity about him.”

“He’s probably the biggest basketball fan on the planet,” said TNT Sports’ sideline reporter Craig Sager, who gives Goldstein a run for his money in the wild clothes department. “He appreciates the game, he knows the players and he has the utmost respect for them.”

It’s said he’s close with Tony Parker and, in the past, was close to former Spurs players such as Will Perdue and Mario Elie, among others.

The story of James Goldstein is almost too cool to be true. His business cards list his jobs as “Fashion, Architecture, Basketball” because his L.A. home was worthy of a 10-page spread in Architectural Digest and it’s in constant demand for fashion shoots. Back in L.A., Goldstein dates models. Later this week, a Russian model was flying in to see him.

His love of hoops began as a kid in Milwaukee, where Goldstein, now in his 70s, grew up as an addict of the then-fledgling league. In 1954, at 15, he got a job as the statistician for the then-Milwaukee Hawks.

College took him to Stanford, where he earned an economics degree. He moved to Los Angeles, got into the investments field and — though he doesn’t talk specifics, it involves land — made a lot of money.

A Goldstein friend told me a story, since confirmed by Goldstein in another interview, that he once dated Jayne Mansfield at the height of her popularity as a Hollywood star. He had a great time, but sadly, her husband wasn’t too happy about it. Goldstein ended up in the hospital because of it.

I didn’t bring that up with Goldstein when we spoke courtside. We focused on basketball.

“I love the athleticism,” he said. “Basketball requires more athleticism than any other sport. I just love watching great athletes.”

He’s got courtside season tickets for both the Lakers and the Clippers. While he usually watches the game analytically, he openly roots against the Lakers. Most of the Lakers roster is friendly, with two exceptions.

“Kobe doesn’t like,” he said. “Neither does (Andrew) Bynum.”

The Spurs, however, love the guy. Buford told me as much. Goldstein says team management finds him the best seats in town when he attends Spurs games.

“Everyone in this league has been so nice to me,” he said. “They always make sure I get good seats.”

Despite the Thunder winning the last two games, he’s still confident the Spurs will win the series. Goldstein’s life — front court seats at every game, palling around with stars — is the envy of lots of people.

“I wish I could be like him,” Spurs player Stephen Jackson said. “I wish I could retire and just sit courtside and watch basketball every night.”

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[...] in the photo is actually NBA superfan James Goldstein, who’s been spotted at several games, including this year’s Western Conference Finals showdown between the Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder in [...]